1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of sports equipment. More specifically the present invention relates to a corner mat for placement in a corner of a boxing ring to prevent a boxer and his stool from sliding on the water splashed onto a boxer and spattering onto boxing ring surface, by diverting the water and other liquids into a collection pan, elevating boxer shoes above the mat surface and by drying boxer shoe soles. The mat has a mat body having a mat body perimeter shape which may be generally triangular or generally diamond-shaped but preferably is generally the shape of a sneaker sole. The mat preferably has mat fastening means for securing the mat in place, which preferably are located in a mat anchor corner. The mat fastening means preferably includes a tie string secured to and extending from the mat anchor corner for tying around the ring corner post. The mat includes several boxer anti-slip means including a rough surface for frictionally engaging boxer shoes, and a fluid collecting pan having a pan bottom wall and a pan side wall with a side wall lip and fitted into a pan recess and which preferably receives the lower ends of stool legs to secure a boxer stool against movement relative to the mat and to collect and contain water, sweat and spit. Also provided is a spit bucket, located forward of the pan, the spit bucket being fitted into a bucket recess in the mat upper surface. A bucket drain hose extends from the spit bucket onto the pan along an incline so that liquid enters the drain hose from the bucket and flows into the pan where liquids are collected during a match. A absorbent ring such as of a tissue paper or of sponge material is slidably retained within a circular channel along the outward surface of the pan side wall, and one or more electric ring rotation motors is mounted to the mat adjacent to the pan side wall and rotates a drive cylinder extending into the pan and into contact with the absorbent ring to cause the absorbent ring to rotate within the pan about the center of the pan to gather and absorb collected liquid. A circuit recess preferably is provided in the mat material underneath the pan and under the pan recess, which contains batteries and circuit wiring with a general mat switch connected to and powering the ring rotation motors.
The mat also has shoe engaging and propping elevations having shoe heel supporting portions and shoe sole engaging upper surfaces and which are angled back toward the heel to elevate boxer shoes and feet in a comfortable position. The shoe engaging and propping elevations preferably have the shape of the bottom of a shoe and resemble inverted shoes. The propping elevations preferably are hollow and each contain a shoe drying fan and the sole engaging upper surfaces each have air flow ports to pass air from the fans to the soles of boxer shoes resting on propping elevations to dry moisture from the canvass. The fans are powered by and connected by circuit wires and mat switch to batteries contained within the above-referenced circuit recess. The fan blades preferably are two inch. Brush bristles preferably are provided around the periphery of each propping elevation.
The mat preferably has a separable central display region formed of a sponge material which removably fits into a display region opening in the mat. Normally the entire mat, or at least the display region, would be changed after each fight.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have long been floor mats for providing enhanced friction between user shoes or feet and a support surface. Yet floor mats are not shaped to fit into and are not provided in boxing ring corners. Furthermore, not all slipping and safety problems in a boxing ring corner could be solved by a conventional shoe gripping floor mat. Water splashed or spattered with a wet towel onto a boxer by his corner crew collects in the corner and would pool on a conventional floor mat to a level beyond its non-slip capacity. In addition, the boxer stool can slide out from under and thereby injure him. This mishap becomes more likely because the boxer must lean back on his stool to comfortably tilt his shoes back on their heels.
Miller, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,886,620, issued on Jun. 3, 1975, discloses a door or shoe mat which is made of plastic and has integrally molded upward flexible projections for scraping dirt off shoes and has non-flexible projections for supporting the foot so that the flexible projections are not totally deflected and their resiliency is preserved.
Tupper, U.S. Pat. No. 3,911,520, issued on Oct. 14, 1975, teaches a door mat including upward projections for scraping mud off shoes, and including an upwardly extending perimeter rim surrounding the projections for containing a pool of water to soften mud on shoes for removal.
Shields, U.S. Pat. No. 3,930,084, issued on Dec. 30, 1975, reveals a plastic decorative inlay in a floor mat. The plastic inlay displays embossed advertising indicia and optional colors, and is releasably attached to the central region of the mat within a recess.
McIntosh, U.S. Pat. No. 4,876,135, issued on Oct. 24, 1989, discloses a floor mat with a disposable absorbent pad including having a top sheet with debris passing openings joined along its perimeter to a bottom sheet and having an open edge for inserting replaceable absorbent pads for gathering dirt and debris.
Austin, U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,966, issued on Oct. 10, 1995, teaches an anti-skid floor mat. Austin includes Y-shaped downward projections on its bottom surface to elevate the mat and permit air to pass and keep the area below the mat dry. Austin further includes upwardly extending bores through the mat bottom surface having resilient domed top walls, several of which are depressed by the weight of a person stepping onto the mat, blowing a quantity of air out of the bores and under the mat.
Conrad, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,245,697, issued on Jun. 12, 2001, discloses a flexible mat for absorbing liquids and providing a cushioning effect. Conrad includes polymeric foam materials.
Poe, Sr., U.S. Pat. No. 6,455,123, issued on Sep. 24, 2002, teaches a non-slip padded mat for use primarily in automobiles as floor and trunk mats, that is intended to be protected from water and dirt and be easy to clean. Poe, Sr. includes a layer having a carpeted upper surface and other rubber-like padding material covered with a translucent upper elastomeric sheet. The upper elastomeric layer optionally includes downwardly extending projections for engaging the carpeted upper surface of the inner padding layer to prevent relative layer slipping.
Blum, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,233,776, issued on May 22, 2001, reveals an advanced floor mat including a cleanable portion and a water dissipation component, a water absorbing component, a cushion component, customized graphics which could take the form of advertising, a transparent cleanable portion, an antibacterial and antifungal composition and fragrance.
Munoz, U.S. Pub. No. 2005/0088020, published on Apr. 28, 2005, discloses a boxing ring corner mat having stool leg receiving recesses.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a boxing ring corner mat which is shaped to fit into and to completely cover a boxing ring corner and which provides a high friction, slip-resistant surface with surface elevations or bumps normally protruding above the level of a pool of boxer cooling water splashed and collected on the mat.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a boxing ring corner mat which includes a central recessed pan for gathering and retaining water and other liquids and for retaining stool leg lower ends so that a boxer stool cannot slide out from under the boxer.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such a boxing ring corner mat which includes shoe propping elevations for supporting boxer shoes which tilt the boxer shoes back on their heels to provide added comfort and a better rest position for a boxer between rounds, and limit any possible tendency to tilt the stool backward, and which can contain powered fans for drying the soles of boxer shoes.
It is finally an object of the present invention to provide such a boxing ring corner mat which includes an upper surface area for display of an advertisement such as a trademark name or logo, which can be inverted and display an alternative advertisement on an opposing mat surface, or which includes a removable display region for displaying such an advertisement and which also can be inverted to display an alternative advertisement on an opposing mat display region surface, and which is durable and economical to manufacture.